FEWO Committee Report
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Supplementary Opinion of Judy Sgro, Liberal Critic for the Status of Women On behalf of the Parliamentary Caucus of the Liberal Party of Canada, I have prepared this report to articulate and underscore my profound concern that the report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women entitled Improving the Economic Prospects of Canadian Girls is not entirely representative of the testimony and correspondence received by the said Committee nor is it resolute in its tone or determination to substantially impact upon the economic prospects of all Canadian girls. Contrarily, the recommendations contained within the said report are malleable, mellifluous and without a cohesive and long-term focus on the task at hand. Instead, the recommendations within this report exclude specific directives to the federal government or to Status of Women Canada in favour of a series of random and disjointed ideas that are “encouraged” rather than being advanced as true recommendations within an aggressive and forward looking action plan. This clear and demonstrated lack of fortitude weakens the final report and, in doing so, does a disservice to Canadian girls who rightly deserve serious consideration and, if their economic challenges are to be resolved expeditiously, require both the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and Government of Canada to promulgate real and immediate action on their behalf. While advancing a series of alternative recommendations would be the typical and expected, I fear this alone will not be enough to remedy the above. Rather, my trepidation grows with respect to the lack of focus exemplified in this report as in previous reports tabled during this Session. This lack of Committee focus stems primarily from the fact that the official mandate of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women is nearly 40 years old and, while well intentioned, has not been modernized to encompass the realities of contemporary Canadian society. It fails to mention the specialized needs of Canada’s aboriginal population, the unique challenges faced by new Canadians and it makes no mention of the Standing Committee’s true function as a federal think tank and problem resolution mechanism within the confines of the nation’s parliamentary democracy. This ambiguity has prompted a listless malaise which has dramatically diminished the Committee’s overall effectiveness as an inquiry-driven, problem solving body at the federal level. To remedy this, the Liberal Caucus recommends that the Standing Committee on the Status of Women undertake an immediate and comprehensive review and rewrite of the mandate assigned to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. It is further recommended that this review include a focus on;
In addition to recommendations offered with respect to the mandate of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, the Liberal Caucus would also recommend the rewrite of all recommendation contained within the report in a manner that would strengthen verbiage and, by extension, their legislative resolve. The inclusion of verbs which specifically moderate the Government of Canada’s responsibility or accountability for serious social challenges affecting the economic prospects of all Canadian girls is a counterproductive and impertinent abdication of the Committee’s duty to both Parliament and stakeholders. While the assignment of blame or the determination of past responsibility is not always helpful or germane when tackling a new or lingering issue, the responsibility for future action is a key component that must be considered fully as part of any proactive action plan. The emerging Committee proclivity for obfuscation must cease if the Committee work is to regain credibility, relevance and influence. The Liberal Caucus strongly urges a return to the report style and tone contained within reports created and tabled by bodies such as the 2011 bi-partisan ad-hoc parliamentary committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care and by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (40th Parliament, 2nd Session) pertaining to pension security for women. In this vein, it is deeply troubling that the report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women entitled Improving the Economic Prospects of Canadian Girls fails to advance a comprehensive series of recommendations specifically dealing with the economic prospects of Aboriginal women despite having heard from several competent witnesses such as Vivian O’Donnell and Susan Wallace. In fact, in the report, the Committee explicitly acknowledges that, “Aboriginal girls and young women make up a significant portion of the female Aboriginal population,” and that, “The Committee has extensive knowledge of the issues facing Aboriginal women with respect to violence and human trafficking...” yet this report does little to resolve or address these key matters. Aboriginal communities have established several innovative and culturally appropriate initiatives and structures, such as Friendship Centres, that could be expanded or adapted to provide support to a wider spectrum if the federal government would opt to engage as a contributing partner. Likewise, on reserve schools and other community institutions could benefit from similar partnership arrangements but, the lack of attention given to these issues in the report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women entitled Improving the Economic Prospects of Canadian Girls represents a missed opportunity for all involved. While it is accepted that attention is given within the report to programming and schools in rural and remote regions of the country, the Liberal Caucus is of the belief that a one-size-fits-all approach will not adequately address or learn from certain specialized or niche problems or successes found within unique cultural communities such as that of Canada’s native populations. Lastly, the report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women entitled Improving the Economic Prospects of Canadian Girls fails to provide specific recommendations to Status of Women Canada. Again, hard recommendations are replaced with softer notes of encouragement which fail to adequately underscore the seriousness of the proposed measures. Prudence and the specific content of witness testimony would both seem to indicate a need for the Committee to more aggressively and definitively share its lessons-learned with Status of Women Canada. For example, by failing to specifically recommend the notion of collaboration between Status of Women Canada and the Treasury Board for the express purpose of establishing pilot projects geared to facilitate the re-entry of women into the federal labour force following an extended leave, the Committee has again opted to side-step a real opportunity for positive change. Committee recommendations are conversation starters for governments and failure to provide substantive recommendations will ensure these vital conversations never occur. Most competent contemporary legislators understand the virtue and cost effective nature of public-private strategic partnerships, particularly in an era of austerity at all levels of government but, in this instance, it seems forethought and drive for change has been replaced by an overwhelming desire to attain and maintain mediocrity. The Liberal Caucus, on behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Canadian population in general will continue to strive for better results and it is hoped that all Committee Members are prepared to do likewise in future studies undertaken by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. Canadian women and girls expect better and I believe that the Committee is capable of doing more that has become the norm over the course of the past Session. Hon. Judy A. Sgro, MP York West Liberal Critic for the Status of Women |